Kitchen Story - Our Home Rental Makeover
During our first 2 years in Indonesia, we decided to reside in a cluster which was an hour’s drive away from Jakarta where my husband’s office is located. Rental prices in South Jakarta- otherwise known as Jakarta Selatan- were steep and there was no way we could get a decent 3 or 4 bedroom house that would fit into our budget. After having lived in Singapore for over 13 years, living in a landed property really felt like luxury for us!
From the onset we knew we wanted to slowly buy our own furniture. So whatever savings we got from our home allowance would go to purchasing furniture that we liked. Yes, the rental in the BSD are is certainly more affordable but the 2 houses we’ve rented were bare. We didn’t make a lot of changes or additions to our first rental because it was brand new and there was a working kitchen. Although it was the wet kitchen, we made it work despite its small size. Fast forward to 2 years and we decided to look for a slightly bigger home- we gave Jakarta another try but the prices were ridiculous considering some properties weren’t in gated communities. So we decided to stay in the same area since the children love the fact that their friends were nearby and they could all meet for playdates all the time.
So the home we finally decided on was bigger than we had hoped for but the backyard was amazing and we felt like it was a good place to call home- for the next few years at least. One catch, the unit was awfully bare and in BSD some renters do not add a proper working kitchen which was a pity. However, since I was introduced to Hafele by a friend, I immediately got a quote on how much it would cost to have them customise a small working kitchen with a budget. It fit our budget and for the number of years that we were going to stay in this home, it seemed worth it. This unit can be detached eventually and we can opt to sell it to our landlord should they decide to continue renting out the place when we leave, 2) Bring the unit should we move, 3) sell it on FB Marketplace which some expats and some locals do.
It will be almost be a year since we’ve moved and I have to admit that I am still happy to be using this kitchen for cooking. It has become my happy place and I love that I can hear the chatter coming from the dining table or the living room. We’ve added an island counter in this space since this photo was taken by the lovely people from Hafele Indonesia.
Not all laminates are created equal. This wood grain laminate definitely defined the look of our kitchen.
A small sink for the main kitchen since the wet kitchen has a sizeable one which we use for washing dishes. I specifically requested for an undermount sink to give the entire space a clean look since this kitchen is exposed to the living and dining area.
Naturally drawn to neutrals. While I love color, I loved the idea of neutrals and keeping it clean which meant no handles for the kitchen cabinets.
The view outside the kitchen was the laundry area, hence not exaclty a pretty sight. So we asked our good friend from Lentz Interiors to give us options on window treatments. They basically did all the curtains and blinds for our home and we couldn’t be happier with the quality!
The photos above were sent by the Hafele team but you’ll see some updates below. I’ve always loved this island counter from Nagarey and finally had the perfect place for it!
If you’re wondering why we had to do the kitchen renovation ourselves, it was because the owner didn’t want to add a kitchen and even if he did, the rental price would increase significantly. There’s a door on the right that leads to the wet kitchen but also bare. Below is how the space looked before renovation.
